A Day In the Life
by UnlimitedShadow
Summary: Lord Elrond was leading a busy life as it was in Imlradis what with being the father of two extremely troublemaking twins and then of course there was young Estel who had recently come into their lives. The very last thing he needed was the arrival of two cousins from a strange world to turn the world that he knew and loved so dearly upside down. ElrondxOC
1. Chapter 1

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**Disclaimer: **I own nothing except Maggie and Riley.

**Summary: **_Lord Elrond was leading a busy life as it was in Imlradis what with being the father of two extremely troublemaking twins and then of course there was young Estel who had recently come into their lives. The very last thing he needed was the arrival of two cousins from a strange world to turn the world that he knew and loved so dearly upside down. What else could possibly go wrong? Oh, Elrond had no idea. __**Pre-books/movies**_**. **

**A/N: **Not your average "drops into ME" fic**. **This is an idea that's lingered with me for a really long time, I've just not been sure if I should write it or not but I thought I'd give it ago. I love stories of Aragorn's childhood and there are far too few of them. This is also sort of inspired by the Lord of the Rings 2003 trilogy by ErinWood. If you haven't read it, do so it's awesome. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the first chapter :)

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Lord Elrond wanted to scream. Perhaps if he had been a less than patient man he would have lost his temper a very long time ago. He wondered sometimes, if maybe this was the Valar's way of testing him or maybe they just wanted to see him suffer. Whichever it was, Elrond was sure that this was only the beginning of what was most likely going to be a _very_ long day. A long, heavy silence lingered in his study as his two eldest sons, Elrohir and Elladan, both stared down shamefully at the floor avoiding at any cost their father's glance.

"Well," said the Elf-lord. "Who wants to go first? Go on, I do not have all day."

Elladan was the first one to speak up. "It was an accident _Adar._" (Father) he said and it really had been. Erestor had just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. It wasn't really their fault that stumbled into the prank they'd set out to play on

"Accident or not, you have deeply upset and offended Erestor. Go and apologise to him at once. Think about the example you are setting for Estel. You are dismissed."

"Yes _adar_." The twins left his study. Sighing heavily, Elrond sank back down in his seat and reached for the quill on his side. At nearly 3000 years old, Elladan and Elrohir still acted like little elflings and he wondered sometimes if they would ever really grow up.

* * *

"Do you think we disappoint him?"

"Father loves us Elrohir; I just think he is a little preoccupied sometimes. You know what day is coming up soon."

"Aye." In a few days time, it would be the anniversary of their mother's death and he dreaded the thought of it. Their father would probably lock himself in his study and it would all be very awkward. For years he and Elladan had hunted the orcs who murdered and raped her but with no luck and the grief was still too near.

"Elladan, look." Something in the corner of his eye had caught Elrohir's attention. It was a body floating in the water by the riverbed. Nobody ever travelled this road, especially not humans. The two twins waded across the water to take a closer look at the body. It was a young woman, unconscious with a bloodied forehead, like she had been knocked out by someone or something.

"We must take her to _adar_ for healing. Come quickly now; Elrohir."

* * *

"My Lord Elrond." By the Valar, what now? Elrond glanced up from his work as Glorfindel stood up in the doorway with an expression of urgency on his face. What had his sons done this time? _A moment of peace, _thought the Elf-lord, _that's all I ask for. _

"A body has been found by the border. A human; she is badly wounded my Lord and needs healing."

* * *

Maggie woke up to the sound of unfamiliar voices around her and a bright light shining on her face. Where the hell was she? Was she dead? It felt like she had awakened from a strange dream that she couldn't quite recollect. She remembered hearing someone calling to her in an odd language but she couldn't remember the face. In fact, as far as she was concerned, everything was very much of a blur.

"Well, look who decided to join the living." Seeing her cousin sitting next to her was definitely a sight for sore eyes even though he had a couple of scars and bruises on him.

"Riley!" Maggie squealed gleefully, "Where are we and.…what the heck are you _wearing_?"

"Yeah I know," said Riley looking at his tunic, "It's not exactly New Look but it's pretty darn comfortable. What's the last thing you remember?"

"Not much, I'll be honest. What's going on?"

"Yeah…" said Riley "About that…"

"You are in Rivendell Lady Margaret; my name is Elrond, this my home and I am Lord of these halls." Maggie could have sworn her jaw dropped all the way down to the floor as the Elf-lord introduced himself. His voice sounded familiar, almost like the one she'd heard in he dream. She must have hit her head a hell of a lot harder than she first thought and there were only two words that came out of her mouth.

"…shit me."

Middle-Earth would never be the same again.

**_To be continued…_**

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**_Not a very long chapter but please tell me what you think anyway J all reviews are welcome (so long as their not flames) _**


	2. Coming to Terms

**Disclaimer:** I still own nothing.

**A/N:** First off: oh my GOD I have just come back from seeing the Hobbit! Not gonna spoil anything but I am so excited I cannot even tell you and I'm likely not getting any sleep I'm so wound up! Anyway, first chapters are always a bit of a pain in the arse to write but hopefully you like it enough to read on. I do have several things planned but anyhow, enjoy!

The paragraph in _italics_ is a flashback.

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**_Two _**

_Coming to terms _

_"I bloody hate hiking. It's wet, it's muddy and it's fucking freezing." Maggie cursed as she stepped into an inch deep puddle. She was quite sure that the whole point of wellington boots was for them to be waterproof. _

_"That's Wales for you Mags." Riley wasn't quite so bothered by it all as Maggie was but then again having spent years in the boys' scouts as a kid _

_"Why did I agree to this?" _

_"Because, "said her cousin almost as if he was enjoying this "You're too damn stubborn to back down from a bet even though you know you're going to lose." It was a stupid bet and had very much been a 'heat of the moment thing' and knowing her dad, Maggie knew he would never let them forget it. So that was the reason to why they were in the middle of the forest in the Welsh countryside, following a path that would hopefully take them to the hunting cabin on the map where they would stay the night. _

* * *

Of course, Maggie thought, nothing ever went according to plan and everything else was a blur.

"So," Riley leaned his arms against the balcony and looked over the view that was Imladris. How had they come here and perhaps most importantly, why? There were so many questions going through his mind and Riley didn't even really know where to start. "Middle-Earth, huh? Fancy that…I don't suppose we found a port-key by accident or something?"

"Ri, I'm having trouble wrapping my head around the idea of elves. Physical, actual, living, breathing _elves_. You were always the Lord of the Rings fanatic, like, _when_ are we? I don't see Frodo and the Hobbits anywhere." It was a fair question and Riley had wondered the same thing.

"We're not in the War of the ring. This is before the war." he lowered his voice to a mere whisper so that nobody else could hear them "If I'd guess I would say this is a good few years before the ring, before the Hobbit, judging from the look of things. I could swear I overheard Lord Elrond speaking about Estel the other day and as far as I remember, Estel is the name the elves gave Aragorn when he was a child in Rivendell."

Maggie blinked and turned to Riley "What do you mean 'the other day?'"

_Riley you idiot, _thought Riley. "Before I tell you, you have to promise me not to freak out on me okay."

Maggie crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at her cousin. "Tell me."

Riley took a deep breath, hoping that Maggie would take it a lot better than he thought she would. "Okay so here's the thing. I've already been here three days before they found you. You've been unconscious for another three days."

"WHAT?!" Maggie couldn't believe her ears, "You've been here nearly a WEEK?!" Maggie felt like she could hit him. She wouldn't of course, but she was furious.

"Now I know what you're thinking Maggie, but just breathe a minute okay."

"I've lost _three_ whole days and you didn't think it was an idea to _tell me_ about that! Don't tell me to fucking breathe!"

"Well, I wanted to but Lord Elrond said I couldn't because of you know the shock and all and apparently he was right."

"Okay, I need to leave." Riley called out after her but she ignored it and left him standing there, cursing to himself.

* * *

Anger wasn't enough to describe how Maggie felt at the moment. She'd stormed off leaving Riley alone at the balcony. She needed a few moments to herself, a few moments to think. Not only was she in Middle-Earth a place she'd known to be fictional, but she had no recollection of what had happened to her in the past few days. She didn't actually know where she was headed she just needed to go somewhere where she could think, the last thing she expected was to bump into someone and fall bum first on the floor. The elf in front of her looked somewhat similar to Lord Elrond with the long dark hair.

"My apologies my Lady, the fault was mine entirely. My name is Elladan; it was me and my brother who found you by the river." Shit, thought Maggie, he was one of Elrond's twin sons. She wasn't sure what she'd expected and so she didn't really know how to react either. He was a prince after all.

"You have a name too surely?" said Elladan with somewhat of a smirk on his face. Okay, now he was just taking the piss out of her.

_Say something, _she told herself. _Don't stare, just say something_, "Uhm, yeah, sorry. I'm Maggie."

"Maggie, well it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm glad to see you recover. Now begging your pardon my Lady, I'm afraid I have to go find my good-for-nothing brother."

Elladan bowed and the left, leaving Maggie briefly speechless.

* * *

Riley had decided to give Maggie a while, knowing what she was like but when he finally caught up with her it was nearly nightfall and they were back at the balcony.

"Do you remember the summer after my 6th Form graduation when I'd downed nearly an entire bottle of absinthe on my own to the extent that I could barely walk and was practically serenading my love to Janet Henderson on the Coop car park? You helped out of that mess and you didn't tell mum and dad because you know how they would feel about it, to protect them. Same reason to why I didn't tell you about this, to protect you. Maggie, Jesus Christ, you were gone and missing for three days and unconscious for another three. We have no idea of what happened to you and Lord Elrond felt that you might not be able to handle the shock of it all."

Over the years, the two of them had had a lot of arguments but they'd always worked it out one way or another. Riley was more like a brother two her than a cousin and she'd be damned if she was going to let something like this affect their relationship.

"I'm not really angry with you," she told him after a while "I'm just a little scared. That's all."

"Well, I have a feeling we might be here a while. I think we have a few things to get used to."

* * *

_The world is changing around you and you know now that things have been set in motion that cannot be altered. It frightens you for you have seen the future and the things that will come to test all bonds of fellowship. What will you do when your own kin are forced to leave this world? _Galadriel's voice spoke to him and in his mind Lord Elrond could see vision of things that had not yet come to pass. He could see vicious battles and the death of many men; he then saw Estel, now a grown man looking into the eyes of Arwen. He saw both his sons in battle but not alone; he saw the two newcomers, Maggie and Riley fighting alongside with them. _What will you do, _said Galadriel's voice, _when not even your powers can hinder the fate of Middle-Earth? _

"What are you thinking my Lord? About those two?" Elrond snapped out of his trance and looked up at Erestor.

"I think," said Elrond "We can expect that things will be very different here."

**_To be continued…. _**

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**_ What did you think? Reviews please? They help me know whether I should continue this or not J_**


	3. Estel

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Maggie and Riley.

**A/N:** I'm glad people seem to like this J just a quick note though on the language, the rating suggests that there will be some swearing. Anyway, here's chapter three, enjoy!

**Three **

_Estel_

"You know cuz; this elvish wine isn't so bad." Riley had almost finished off his third glass and Maggie had just finished her first one; wine had never really been her favourite bevarage. They were both sat on the floor of Riley's bedchamber where food had been brought to them earlier on.

"Right well, you enjoy the rest of that wine Ri, i'm going to sleep because frankly, it feels like I haven't slept in days." said Maggie and told her cousin goodnight as she left the room and headed back towards her own room. Imladris was beautiful at night and as she walked through halls back to her own chamber, she could see the stars. They were different stars from what she was used to and she couldn't see any constellations that she recognised but they were beautiful nonetheless. Tomorrow, she thought, she was going to give herself some time to explore Imladris properly, it wasn't as if she'd had any time to do so earlier because she was only just getting used to the thought of actually being in Middle-Earth.

"You're it _ada_!"

"Watch where you run, you don't want to-" Lord Elrond hadn't been able to finish his sentence because the child, a young boy had already run straight into Maggie and landed right on his bum. He didn't cry though, instead he stood up quickly and looked nearly terrified when he glanced up at Maggie.

She smiled at him "Hey, what's your name?" The little boy looked away and hid his face in Elrond's clothes.

"Come now, _aier_" said Elrond (Little one) "Don't be rude to our guest, tell Lady Margaret your name."

"My name is Estel." He said very shyly and retreated to hide behind Lord Elrond whom just rolled his eyes. Maggie found it hard to believe that this little six year old toddler would grow up to be Aragorn and she wondered if Elrond already knew who he was. Young Estel tugged his father's robe and the Elf-Lord looked down at him.

"Adar," whispered Estel, "She's very pretty." At this Elrond couldn't help but to chuckle out loud. Children, he thought, were remarkable beings and always spoke the truth as they saw it. At this sudden statement Maggie blushed whether she noticed it herself or not.

"How are you finding Imladris?"

"It's beautiful and very different from what I'm used to."

"So your cousin says," said Elrond "Some day, you will have to tell me all about your home. I am most intrigued to find out more about it. For now however, I'm afraid I must bid you goodnight and put this little one to bed."

"But I'm not tired!" Estel protested

"And yet normally you are fast asleep before I ever get a chance to finish my story. Goodnight Lady Margaret."

"Goodnight my Lord."

_So_, Margaret thought as Elrond and Estel left, _that was Aragorn_

* * *

Riley wanted to die. Out of all the hangovers he'd had in his days, this was by far the worst one. He hadn't even drunk that much but clearly elvish wine was a heck of a lot stronger than he realised. Or maybe he just wasn't that good at holding his liquor anymore but he would never admit that to his cousin. He pulled the duvet over his head and swore to himself never to drink again. And why did the sun have to shine so brightly? Had the elves not heard of curtains before?

"Good morning sleepyhead."

"Go away Mags," Riley groaned "You can make fun of me later for now I just want to—"

Something interrupted his words though and when Riley listened more carefully he was almost certain he could hear somebody blowing a horn.

"Did you hear that?" Riley sat up and listened. It was definitely the sound of a horn followed by horse-hooves galloping through the city. Something, Riley guessed, must have happened because horns were only sounded if it was something urgent. The two cousins got out of bed and Riley quickly dressed. As they walked through the city they saw that a large crowd had gathered in a circle, whispering in hushed voices but as it was all in elvish neither Maggie nor Riley could understand what they were saying.

"Make way!" shouted Glorfindel "Make way for Lord Elrond" and the crowd stepped aside so that the Elf-Lord could pass through. From what Riley could see, there was someone or something lying on the ground because Elrond's face seemed to fall. Then there was Elladan, or Elrohir, Riley could never tell the difference, who bent down and picked up what looked like an arrow.

An arrow covered in blood.

"Orc arrows, Father." said one of the twins

"Impossible!" Elrond replied, doubtfully "Orcs have never been this close to our borders before."

"Elladan and I followed their trail _Adar_," said Elrohir "They came south out of Fangorn Forest."

Elrond fell silent for a while, puzzled over what had just happened. Why would orcs be crossing into Elven land? They had no unfinished business with Elven kin unless there was something else going on that Elrond had missed.

"Send out scouts and send word to Lorien," Elrond quickly wrote down a message on a piece of parchment. If there was anyone who knew what to do it would be Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn.

"Yes my Lord." said an elf called Amras as he bowed and then quickly left. Maggie whom had been listening to the conversation suddenly felt something tugging her dress and when she turned around she was surprised to see Estel standing behind her. He looked frightened and didn't know what was going on or why everyone spoke in hushed voices. As she quickly looked up to see if she could find Estel's brothers anywhere, Lord Elrond caught her eye.

_I trust you, _it was Elrond's voice inside her head and at first it startled Maggie but then she remembered that Elves could communicate telepathically. _This is not a sight for my son to see, take him to the Hall of Fire; I will find you there after. _Maggie nodded and then bent down to Estel. After all, she wasn't one to argue with Lord Elrond.

"What is happening?" Estel asked, looking confused at both Maggie and Riley

"Estel," Maggie replied in a calmed voice "Your father asked me to look after you for a little while. Can you show me where the Hall of Fire is?"

"Mags?" Riley asked but she hushed him. Estel nodded and his eyes seemed to light up a little at the mention of the Hall of Fire, "I only ever go there for storytelling. Are you going to tell me a story?" he asked curiously

Maggie smiled "I will if you'd like me to." Excitedly, Estel took her hand and let her out of the crowd. Maggie looked back at her very confused cousin but to be honest Maggie wasn't so sure she understood what was going on herself.

**_To be continued…_**

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**_So, we've met young Estel now and things seem to be happening. What do you think? Yay or nay? J_**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I still own nothing except Maggie or Riley.

**A/N:** Do you like it? Do you hate it? I quite like writing it so you know, please let me know what you think? Oh also; I have some advice I'd like to ask of you lovely readers – I want this to turn into some kind of romance and it's kind of a tie between two characters; either Elladan or Lord Elrond himself? Which one would you rather read? Anyway, here's the next chapter! Enjoy it!

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**Four **

Estel seemed to quickly have forgotten about all the commotion outside and happily dragged Maggie along to the hall of fire. She wasn't sure what she expected to see when they entered it but it kind of made her wish that she had her camera. There was a massive fireplace in the centre of the hall throughout the hall there were long tables so well as large and comfortable cushions on the floor. _No wonder_, Maggie thought, _that Estel loves this place_. Obviously, there wasn't a fire lit now but Maggie hoped that maybe they would be there long enough to be able to take part in the storytelling. Estel took her hand and dragged her to the nearest cushion (_I need one of these for my dorm room_, Maggie thought) and when Maggie sat down the little toddler made himself quite comfortable on her lap which surprised Maggie a little because only last night, he had been shy of her.

"Can you tell me a story with dragons?" Estel beamed and Maggie couldn't help but to chuckle. How did children have such insane amounts of energy? "Have you ever seen a dragon? _Adar_ has seen one; did you know that _Adar_ is very old?" _Yes, _Maggie thought to herself, _that I did know._ Although just how old Lord Elrond was, was a question she had not dared to ask anyone.

"Well, I know a few stories about dragons but I've never seen one myself. Where I come from we don't have dragons." Estel's face fell almost as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard. No dragons? What was a world without dragons?

"No dragons?" It wasn't Lord Elrond's voice that had spoken but it was Elladan. "Indeed that must be a strange land you come from." he stood in the doorway first, arms crossed and leaned against the wall and then he walked into the hall. "My father got a little preoccupied so he sent me in his stead to pick up Estel."

"But 'Dan!" protested Estel "She was going to tell me a story! Can't leave now!"

"Well, maybe we can save the story for another time?" Maggie suggested but then caught the grin on Elladan's face as he sat down next to them.

"Oh no, don't let me hinder you," he said "Do go on. I'm quite intrigued to hear this story now and after all, we wouldn't want to disappoint Estel." Pleased about the outcome of this Estel's face lit up once again as he waited for Maggie to start telling the story.

"Okay, once upon a time in a land far away there was a boy named Eustace. Now nobody liked Eustace very much and so they gave him the nickname 'Scrubb'." Before Maggie could continue she was interrupted.

"Estel," this time it was Lord Elrond calling after his son "It's time for you studies. Glorfindel is waiting for you."  
"Oww, but _Adar,_ the story hadn't even started yet!"

"Well in the case Estel, let us make a deal: if you go to your studies and complete them without causing any trouble for Glorfindel, maybe Lady Margaret can be the one to tell you a bedtime story tonight? Of course, if that is alright with you my lady?"

"I'd love to." Estel jumped up and ran out the Hall of Fire to his father and soon him and Lord Elrond were out of sight, leaving Elladan and Maggie alone.

"It seems my brother likes you a great deal." Elladan said

"He's a sweet kid."

"You seem to be used to the presence of young children."  
"I have a younger brother, actually he's about a year younger than Estel."

"You must him terribly."

Maggie hadn't been able to think much of it but now that Elladan mentioned it, she did. Callum would have his birthday in a few weeks and she remembered how excited he was about his party.

"Yeah," Maggie said "I do."

* * *

Not much later when Riley went to search for his cousin, he found her in her room on the bed. When Maggie heard the door opening she sat up and turned to her cousin, eager to find out what he had been up to.

"Powernap yeah?" Riley teased as he sat down next to her "Well, while you've been out playing au-pair with the King of Gondor-to-be, Elrohir has filled me in on information about what happened earlier." he told her and in fact he was quite pleased about the whole thing. His hangover wasn't quite so bad anymore either which helped immensely.

"Oh? Well go on."

"One of the members of Lord Elrond's guard was killed in an orc attack not too far from the border to Rivendell. They attacked their camp from out of nowhere."

"Why?"

Riley shrugged. "Nobody knows but Elrohir and a few others are going out tonight to see if they can scout them out. I'm going with them."

Maggie was sure she must have heard him wrong. "You're doing _what_? Are you insane?!"

It was pretty much the reaction Riley had expected. "I'm not mad Maggie, this is a calculated risk. Besides, we're going to be here for gods only know how long, we might as well make ourselves useful somehow. I for one, would sleep a lot better at night without worrying about orc attacks."

_Touché_, Maggie thought. "Okay, you have a valid point but please be careful? When are you going out?"

"In two hour so hours, the horses are being prepared. Look Mags, you know I don't believe in this stuff usually but I'm starting to think that maybe we were sent here for a reason and maybe we should find out what that is."

Riley kissed his cousin on her forehead and then hurried off in the opposite direction. She couldn't but to think that he was right. It couldn't have been a coincidence that they were sent to Middle-Earth at this time and Maggie wanted more than anything else to find out what that reason was, even if that meant staying here for a long while.

* * *

The rest of the day followed uneventfully, for which Maggie was rather grateful. She spent hours just wandering around Imladris, exploring places she hadn't had a chance to yet. She discovered the city was a lot larger than what it first had seemed to be. The elves in the city didn't seem to be bothered by neither her nor Riley's presence and she figured with Estel, they were probably used to human visitors. The other thing Maggie noticed about elves was their incredible artistic skills; she was pretty sure that Imladris would be any architect's dream to visit. Maggie had no idea of how long she had wandered when she found herself in what she assumed was a small garden and

"Beautiful isn't she."

Not expecting anyone else to be there, Maggie jumped and felt her heart skip a bit but relaxed a little when she turned around. The elf in front of her was beautiful; and if Maggie had a guess she would say she was probably about as old as Elladan and Elrohir, whatever the heck that was_. People need to stop sneaking up on me_, she thought and breathed

"I'm sorry," Maggie apologised "I didn't know there was anyone else there."

"Clearly my lady I am the one who should apologise. My name is Talathel but most just call me Tala." said the female elf "Your cousin, he is riding out with the guard? Forgive me, I heard him speaking earlier. That is a very brave thing to do."

Maggie snorted. "Yeah, not to mention stupidly dumb but then again that would be Riley for you. He better come back alive or I swear I'll kill him."

At this, Tala giggled even though she tried to hide it. "So uhm, what are you doing anyway?" Maggie asked

"I'm tending to the flowers my lady. Someone needs to or they will die and it would be a shame for they're so beautiful. Especially planted for this grave." It made Maggie wondered who's grave it was. The statue was that of a woman but she didn't look elflike at all, in fact she was very much human. "Who was she?"

"She was young Estel's mother; the Lady Gilraen. She brought him here when he was merely two years old; his father was slain by orcs." So that's why he was raised in Rivendell, Maggie had never known the full story but now that she did she felt sad for Estel, of course she assumed that nobody had yet told him who he was and probably in a way, might as well because he seemed happy.

* * *

Riley, Elrohir and the rest of the party had made camp for the night by an outpost not too far from Fangorn Forest. It had taken them a good few hours to get there

"Do you think she remembers, your cousin, what happened to her?" Elrohir asked. Maggie hadn't mentioned anything about the days she had been gone and Riley shook his head. They all had an idea but Maggie needed to be the one to remember; Elrond had been very clear about that. The effects, as Elrond had explained it, could be very much like waking somebody who was sleepwalking.

"No but I'm pretty sure she will eventually." Riley replied as he lay down on the blanket. As far as he was aware elves didn't necessarily sleep much but he had offered to take the second watch and so he closed his eyes and dreamed of home.

Unaware of the watchful eyes following their every move.

**_To be continued….. _**

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**_Not a very eventful chapter I'm aware but next one will be more so. And what about Riley? What happened during his first few days in Rivendell? Won't you do me a favour and press that lovely little review button yes?_**


	5. The first three days

**Disclaimer:** I don't own LOTR. Only Maggie and Riley.

**A/N: **Hey guys, as I'm on holiday over Christmas there will undoubtedly be more chapters up a lot more quickly than they have been. I think you'll like this chapter! The paragraphs in _italics_ are flashbacks. Enjoy!

* * *

**Five**

_The first three days_

_When Riley opened his eyes he wasn't sure where he was; all he knew was that he was cold, wet and he couldn't see his cousin anywhere. Why was it dark when it had been midday just a short while ago? _

_"State your name and your presence, stranger, before I slit your throat." Sword? Why was there a sharp sword at his throat?_

_"Uh…." The men around him were tall and he couldn't really see their faces properly but they were wearing helmets. Almost as if they were soldiers or something. They were whispering amongst themselves in some kind of language that Riley couldn't understand at first he assumed it was Welsh but it was a far more different language. Though somehow he thought it sounded a little familiar. _Where have I heard it before? _Riley wondered as he tried to decide what to do next. _

_"Well," said one of them "What is your name? Do you not know where you are?" _

_"My name is Riley," he replied "and no, now that you mention it, I don't have a damned clue of where I am. We got lost; me and my cousin and I fell, obviously got knocked unconscious and woke up here. Please don't kill me; I have a 4000 word essay on ancient Greece to finish." After a moment's silence the two men finally let their guard down and put the swords away. When they removed their helmets Riley thought for a while he must be dreaming when he realised what they were; the long dark hair and the pointy ears. _

_"Blimey! You're elves aren't you?" Riley stated. Then came his next thought; why and how were there elves? They weren't real, they were fictional creatures. _Well that's it, _he thought, _I've officially gone insane.

_"Of course we are," said one of them "You speak as if you've never seen an elf before." _

_"Well, obviously no, elves aren't real." _

_"Clearly Elladan, this one must have hit his head quite hard."_

Elladan? What the hell is going on? _Riley wondered because as far as he knew, Elladan was the name of one of Lord Elrond's twin sons and Lord Elrond was a character in Lord of the Rings. _

_"Uhm, where am I exactly?" _

_"You've just crossed the border to Imladris, our father's kingdom." _

_"I'm in Middle-Earth? You must be joking? Shit me…" _

_"I think Elrohir," said Elladan as he turned to his brother "Perhaps you might be right. We should take him to _Adar;_ he will know what to do." _

_"Wait, what about my cousin? I can't just leave her here."_

_"What is her name?" _

_"Maggie; she's a little shorter than I am about 5"5, auburn hair." _

_"Would she wear the same strange clothing you do?" Elrohir asked, referring to Riley's trousers, willies and raincoat. He nodded in response and was starting to worry a little. _

_"Elrohir, take…Riley is it…back to Imladris; I will stay and search for his cousin. At any rate, a young woman shouldn't be alone in these woods."_

* * *

Okay, _Riley thought, _there has to be a logical explanation for this. _He tried to think of anything that would tell him how the hell he was in actual Middle-Earth. Thus far he had ruled out still being unconscious because it just felt too real and either way there was just something about it all that told him it was indeed very real. He was stood outside Lord Elrond's study where he was pacing back and forth impatiently whilst Elladan and Elrohir were speaking to their father. He couldn't blame them really because quite frankly they seemed to be equally as confused as he was. All in all, Riley felt alright, slightly bruised and a little disoriented with a mild headache but apart from that he was okay. It was Maggie he worried about. If they really were in Middle-Earth then gods only knew what kind of creatures were out in those woods and the thought of it made him shudder. Finally, the door opened and an unfamiliar elf gestured for him to come inside and Riley couldn't but to feel nervous. It wasn't every day you were introduced to Lord Elrond himself. _

_"It seems," Elrond started "This night has been quite eventful for young Master Riley. It isn't often we get human visitors in Imladris and even less often ones who seem to be unfamiliar with our kind. Tell me; is it really true you have never seen an elf before?" Riley wasn't quite sure how he had expected Elrond to react and so he really wasn't too sure what to tell the Elf-lord but there wasn't much point in lying. _

_"Yeah, uhm, we don't really have elves where I'm from." _

_"And where, prey tell, is your home?"_

_"England, well more specifically this town called Reading, you probably haven't heard of it." Elrond fell silent and for a good few moments he said nothing. Outside the rain was bucketing down which really wasn't too different from where they had been in Wales. _

_"You're not of this world." he finally said _

_"No and no I don't know what happened either. One moment Maggie and I are hiking through a forest the next thing I know I wake up with your sons swords at my throat." _

_Lord Elrond shot both his sons a glance but he couldn't blame them, it was after all their land. _

_"I may need some time to think this over. It seems the Valar have decided to put things in play this night. Until then Master Riley, you are a welcome in these halls. I don't think you're ill-minded." _

_"No," Riley "Just bloody unlucky." _

_A short while later Riley left Elrond's study and stopped to breathe for a while, trying to let it all sink in. _Welcome to Rivendell Mr. Anderson, _he thought, _you may call me V.

* * *

Riley awoke to the sound of a twig snapping and immediately jolted upright. The elves of course had already heard it before him and had grabbed their weapons. It didn't take long before he realised what was going on; they were about to be ambushed by orcs.

* * *

_"Master Riley," Riley wasn't sure how he knew but there was something about the look on the Elf's face when he called after him. _

_"You've found her? You've found Maggie?" he asked and the elf nodded in response_

_"Aye, but she is wounded and unconscious. Lord Elrond is healing her as we speak." _

_"May I see her?" _

_The elf nodded. "Follow me." _

* * *

Orcs were vile, ugly creatures and they absolutely reeked. In his life Riley never thought he would have to come up against one in combat and at that moment he was very thankful for his fencing classes.

"You're not bad a combat Riley!" said Elrohir almost as if he was surprised. The young (I say young but you know what I mean) slit the throat of another orc and there weren't many left of them now. If Elrohir were to guess, he'd say that this was just the scouts, just as they were and there was probably a large pack somewhere out in the wild. Their father wouldn't be pleased about this news, but then again, with a little luck, hunting this orcs might lead them to finding out what happened to their mother.

"Cheers!" Riley said. The few remaining orc must have decided it wasn't worth it because within the next five minutes they had all retreated back into the woods where they had come from and it was almost as if they hadn't been there at all. _How the hell, _Riley thought, _am I still alive after that? _Luck, he figured, had to have played a significant part in it all.

"We must go back to Imladris," it was Elladan who spoke "_Adar_ won't be pleased about this news."

* * *

_"Master Riley," Riley had been half dosed off to sleep when Lord Elrond entered the room. Maggie was asleep in the bed next to him and Riley had been sat there for so long he had lost count. "You ought to get some sleep; your cousin is safe here. No harm will come to her in Imladris, not on my watch." said the Elf-lord solemnly. Riley knew he was right but he couldn't bring himself to fall asleep; in a way he blamed himself for it because he was the one who'd urged them both to take up that stupid bet in the first place and if he hadn't done that neither of them would be here. They would be home safe in front of a warm fire, with their family, staying up stupidly late playing monopoly. _

_"I know, but I can't leave her." Riley replied _

_"She will wake up in her own time, the wounds are mending but the healing takes time. Sleep, child, there is yet another day tomorrow." Riley wasn't quite sure what happened next but something with Lord Elrond's words had made him really tired and his eyes felt heavier until he finally, albeit unwillingly, drifted off to a deep sleep. _

* * *

Elladan had been right, Lord Elrond didn't like it at all and all of this worried him. If this group of orcs were who he thought then they had a lot more trouble to expect than he normally liked. For years the Hidden Valley had been kept safe; why were they suddenly drawing nearer now? They normally feared his kind and that made him wonder; was there perhaps something else out there causing all of this? Something much darker than any of them knew.

Lord Elrond had no idea of the things that were about to come.

**_To be continued… _**

* * *

**_Yay? Nay? Hate it? Love it? Like it? Let me know! _**


	6. A New Friend

**Disclaimer: **As always, I don't own anything except the cousins.

**A/N: **Not much to say about this chapter really J Enjoy it!

* * *

**_Six_**

_New friends _

Even with the story, it had taken Estel quite some time to actually fall asleep and he hadn't wanted Maggie to leave either, much to Elrond's surprise. Estel wasn't necessarily a shy child as such but Elrond had learnt that he tended to stick close to the people he trusted and it seemed both Maggie and Riley were such people. Children were in the end always good at judging characters. By the time he walked into Estel's chamber the Elf-lord found both his son and Maggie fast asleep at his side and Elrond couldn't help but to smile. Not wanting to wake her up, Elrond picked Maggie up and carried her to her own room and mumbled a spell to keep her from having troubled dreams.

* * *

A few days passed by, with nothing much exciting happening. Elladan, Riley and Elrohir continued the search for the orc pack but with no luck and while they were out Maggie spent her time playing with the young Estel. She had quickly realised that there were many, many places where a six year old could hide where nobody could find him. One afternoon, a Tuesday to be precise but days didn't seem to matter so much anymore, Lord Elrond had called to a gathering in the courtyard to welcome a new visitor to Rivendell. A company of five elves rode in through the gates of the city and unlike the Rivendell elves, these had long blonde hair.

"Ah! _Mae govannen_ young Prince Legolas" (Welcome) said Lord Elrond. At the mentioning of the name Legolas both Maggie and Riley looked at each other. (**"Young my arse." Riley whispered so that only Maggie could hear him**)

"My Lord Elrond," Legolas dismounted his horse and bowed "It's a great pleasure to see you again." Legolas then turned to Elladan and Elrohir. He bowed to them as well but Riley, whom was standing next to the twins, could see the grins on their faces. Obviously there was some kind mischievousness going on between them but that wasn't much of a surprise. They had told him a bit of Legolas and even more about King Thranduil and about the many practical jokes that had been played when Elladan and Elrohir last visited Mirkwood. Legolas next turned to Riley and Maggie.

"You must be the two visitors I have heard about. Forgive me; I do not know your names." Legolas said

"My name is Riley and this is Maggie." Riley replied.

"It is a pleasure to meet you; I hope to become more acquainted with you during my stay."

"Legolas will be staying with us for a while." Elrond explained

"Is this a 'while' by elven standards because I have a feeling that could mean anything from months to years? You lot don't really do time the same way we do." Maggie asked

"Says Miss 'I'm chronically late for everything always'." Riley filled in

At this, Even Elrond laughed. "Three months; it is Legolas' wish to spend some more time outside his father's realms."

"Can't really blame him," whispered Elladan. "King Thranduil is—"

"—a most honourable elf _Adar_." Elrohir quickly cut in when he saw his father's annoyed glance. Insulting the king of Mirkwood wouldn't be the wisest of things to do and rivalry between the two realms was the last thing they needed. Even if Elrohir agreed and thought that Thranduil wasn't the most pleasant person to be around.

* * *

"Can they stay here forever _Ada_?" Elrond turned around to his son, wondering for a moment what he meant until he realised that of course it must be Riley and Maggie. The arrival of Legolas had excited him and they had spent most of the afternoon playing, much to his happiness and Legolas had been patient enough to put up with it. Now, however, there was a very exhausted child insisting that he didn't want to go to sleep.

"No, Estel, they have to back home eventually but as we don't know when that might be they're here." Elrond replied

"Oh…" Estel was confused as well as disappointed. In his world the good things were never supposed to end and he didn't want to see Maggie and Riley leave.

"But…"

"What's the matter dear one?" Tears were swelling up in the little boy's eyes and Elrond wanted to curse himself for not thinking this through properly. There were so many other things he could have said that would have been so much better.

"I don't want them to leave," he protested whilst crying "I love them!" The Elf-lord picked up his son who buried his face in his shoulders and just cried. He hadn't expected him to be so emotional over it, after all neither Maggie nor Riley had been in Imladris particularly long but that didn't seem to matter to Estel. Was it perhaps because they too were human and he could see the difference despite being so young.  
"There, come now my child, that time is yet a very, long while ahead." Estel snivelled and dried his tears in Elrond's clothes. _Maybe it is time for this little one to have an early night_, Elrond thought as Estel held on tightly to his shoulders. Elrond hushed a very exhausted Estel to sleep and sat by his bed for a while.

* * *

Later that evening Maggie had decided that she wanted some time for herself while Riley once again had set off to hunt down the rest of the orc pack and this time they had been accompanied by Legolas. She still had a bit of a hard time coping with the fact that it was the Legolas but then again every now and then she found that she still had to sit down and just realise that she was in Middle-Earth. Much to her joy, she realised that her backpack had been found which contained amongst other things her sketch pad along with a couple of pencils so a while after dinner she wandered down to one of the gardens and sat herself down on the staircases. Drawing had always been a way of her to relax and just forget about things that were bothering her and Rivendell, she thought, had so much inspiration. She couldn't spend time worrying about Riley because quite frankly, she was pretty sure that Elladan and Elrohir would make sure he was alright and in the end Riley was (most of the time) perfectly capable of taking care of him.

"No way!" Maggie said out loud when she searched her bag and found her iPod which she had somehow managed to forget about. If she was lucky enough there would still be batteries on it because she had turned it off and hadn't actually used it during their hike.

"HA! Thank Christ, there are gods!" Music was one of those things she just couldn't live without and she found her favourite playlist with Disney songs.

"I've never seen anyone find such joy in so small a thing. Tell me, what, exactly is that device you're holding?" Startled, Maggie jumped but then relaxed when she saw that it was only Elrond. There was the thing about people sneaking up on her and obviously something that seemed to run in his family. She handed him the small purple music player and Elrond looked fascinated which if anything amused Maggie because it as a nice change.

"It plays music and you can take it with you anywhere. It runs on batteries though so unless you charge it, it dies and it'll do that in two or so days because I don't have my laptop with me." Elrond raised an eyebrow at Maggie and then she realised to him that all probably sounded like ancient Greek. "Of course, you wouldn't know what a computer is so never mind. How is Estel?"

"Estel is having an early night; he got a little upset earlier and all of today's play and running around with Legolas has tired him out."

"Why was he upset?"

"Because," Elrond said "He fears the day you and your cousin leave Middle-Earth. He loves you very dearly." Maggie wasn't entirely sure what to say to that; not at all. Estel was a lovely child and she enjoyed spending time with him.

"He hardly knows us." In a way it made her feel guilty because even if they weren't sure how yet, or when, eventually they would have to go back home. She didn't want to be the cause of a child's heartbreak and she knew how sad her own younger siblings got when she had to leave home for university.

"It isn't your fault my dear," said Elrond "If anything it is a wonderful testimony to both yours and Riley's personalities that Estel has accepted you so quickly and it warms my heart. You are welcome to stay in Imladris for as long as is necessary."

* * *

_When Maggie fell asleep much later she had less than happy dreams. She found herself back in the forest but there were nothing familiar around her. She could see neither Rivendell nor anyone she knew; she was lost and felt alone. Except of course she wasn't. There voices around her but they were foul and the language wasn't elvish but something much darker. She was running at first but then fell down and suddenly she was bound. The rope was so tight that her wrists were bleeding and her vision was blurred. She was terrified and screamed for help but no help came. _

_"Shut your mouth human scum!" said one voice, when Maggie's vision clear she could see that it was an orc. _

_"No help will come for you, you're ours now." a second orc hissed as they closed up on her Maggie felt her heart skipping many beats. _

That night, Margaret Spencer woke up screaming.

**_To be continued…. _**

* * *

**_Yay? Nay? Love it? Hate it? Like it? Please review and let me know J_**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **Nothing is mine except Maggie and Riley.

**A/N: **You guys are amazing! Thank you so much for the reviews! They keep me going! I love this story and I'm glad you do too. So because the world hasdn't ended here is another chapter. This is quite the long chapter but nevertheless I hope you enjoy it anyway!

Word of caution: there will be swearing in this chapter so if that isn't your thing, cover your eyes.

* * *

**_Seven _**

"My lords!" When Riley, Legolas and the twins came back to Rivendell after another night out tracking the orc pack they were met but one of the younger elves, Mithien. The look on her face immediately suggested that something was wrong and before any of them could reply Riley just knew it was Maggie. He quickly dismounted the horse and ran fast as he could into to his cousin's bedroom and found that Lord Elrond was already there and sat on the bed, trying to calm down a very panicking Maggie.

"Maggie, look at me dear one; it was only a nightmare. You're awake now; you're safe and unharmed." said the Elf-lord as he stroke her hair, whispering elvish words to calm her down.

"But they were here, I could see them, they were real and they had me! Maggie sobbed in his arms; only in a half conscious state. Riley had never seen his cousin like this before and he hated seeing her in this state because it made him feel so powerless. He was well aware that the only person with the power to do anything about it was Elrond but he didn't like standing there just watching. Maggie was absolutely terrified and it made him wonder what exactly the dream had been about.

"There is nobody here Maggie, except myself and Riley. I promise you; I give you my word that no orcs will ever get through the gates of this city."

"_Adar_?" Riley turned to the doorway and saw a very tired Estel who looked confused at what was going on. He'd probably heard Maggie's screams and as Riley figured this wasn't really the best place for him to be, he walked up to the little boy.

"Hey buddy, you remember my name right?" Riley whispered and Estel nodded tiredly. "How about we go find one of your brothers and ask them to put you back to bed yeah?" Estel seemed to agree and Riley took his hand and lead him out of the room. It didn't take very long before Riley found Elladan, Elrohir and Legolas along with a few other elves sat by a table in the large kitchens each of them with a cup of warm tea to drink. It appeared as though everyone had decided there was no point in going back to sleep just yet. Riley definitely knew he wouldn't be able to get any sleep until he knew Maggie was alright and could see her.

"Estel," said Elrohir "What are you doing up? It is way past your bedtime."

"Couldn't sleep." Estel replied and yawned "Why is Maggie sad?"

"She'll be alright brother, _Adar_ is taking care of her. Come, let us go back to bed." Elrohir picked up his little brother and left the company alone in the kitchen.

* * *

"You can find out, I know you can." It was much later when Maggie had finally calmed down and felt like she could breathe properly again. She still felt the fear though and she knew it hadn't been just a nightmare; it was a memory. Or at least part of a memory of what had happened to hear in the few days before Elladan and Elrohir found her. Elrond was sat beside her on the bed and seemed to be deep in thought as if he was wondering what to tell her. Maggie was well aware that all elves at least to some extent were telepathic, especially Lord Elrond being as old and powerful as he was.

"There is a way," said the Elf-lord. If he could have it his way, he would let those memories stay hidden and eventually forgotten but he could also understand Maggie and why she felt it was important to find out what had happened to it. "It will be extremely unpleasant."

"Would I know though?"

"Yes," Elrond nodded "You would."

"Then I want you to do it."

"I would have to look into your mind."

"I trust you." It was true. Maggie did trust Elrond completely. Lord Elrond sighed and gave in to her will as he gently put his hands on her face.  
"If there's anything you do not wish me to see, just imagine a door closing and I shan't look"

* * *

_There were many of them. Maggie wasn't sure how but at a glance she guessed at least a good dozen. They had made camp and were all arguing amongst each other in a language she couldn't understand but it sounded awful. What kind of creatures were they? They smelled horribly and seemed to come out of some kind of nightmare. The next thing Maggie realised was that she was bound in ropes so tightly that she could barely move her hands and she felt the rope cutting into her skin. Where was Riley? Why wasn't he there with her? Was he alive? He had to be, of course he was alive. How had they even got wherever the hell she was? The third thing Maggie felt was fear when one of the orcs came up towards her. It was impossible to tell whether it was male or female but that was less important. She screamed but the orc covered her mouth before any real words could be formed. _

_"Shut your mouth human scum. You're ours now." _

* * *

"That's enough for tonight; it will exhaust you more than you already are and you need to rest. If you still want to find out more, we can do this again but you need to be sure. Some things are perhaps best left untouched." Maggie was a lot more tired than she realised and as much as she knew that Elrond was right, she also knew she couldn't just let go. _Maybe_, she thought, _maybe by finding out what happened to me that could also find the orcs_. Of course in a way it was a long shot and a way to justify her own reasons.

"I should find Riley and let him know I'm alright." she then said, briefly remembering hearing his voice earlier

"You two are a lot closer than cousins normally would be." Elrond said although it was more a statement than a question.

"We have to be, "Maggie said "We've been through a lot together. Riley's had a tough childhood."

"I get that feeling yes. Let me see your wounds and how they're healing." She showed Elrond her wrists and the scar remains on them. They didn't hurt as much as they used to and they weren't anywhere near as bad as when the twins had found her by the river.

"His dad used to be a drug addict; he used to work in the army and that meant there were a lot of drugs going around to begin with. If you only knew where to look there would be easy access to anything from weed and cocaine to crystal meth really. There were a lot of times when Riley would stay with me and my family because things were too bad at home or he was too scared to sleep." Maggie explained and Elrond was listening to the story; he could see it all clearly playing out before him in his mind. Maggie wasn't really sure why she was telling Elrond all of this but she felt that somehow, it was all safe with him in some strange way. She felt like she could tell him her deepest darkest secrets and he would neither judge her nor tell anyone else of it.

"Ow!" Maggie winced when a cloth padded with hot water touched the sore skin.

* * *

When Maggie woke up the next day she still felt exhausted and it had taken her a while before she actually fully dared going back to sleep. She hadn't been able to speak to Riley the night before because honestly Lord Elrond had told her not too and that was probably a smart thing to do but the first thing on her agenda of the day was to find Riley.

"Legolas," Maggie said when she saw him presumably walking towards his own chamber. "I heard you guys had a less than successful hunt."

"Aye," the Prince of Mirkwood responded "It's most unfortunate. We don't quite know where to look for next. I'm glad to see you up on your feet My Lady; I heard you had quite a night."

"Oh please, drop the formalities. Call me Maggie. And yeah, it's been a long, very long, night. I don't suppose you've seen my dear cousin anywhere?"

"Riley? Oh yes, I believe he's having a conversation with the twins and Gilonor. It seems like you are both settling in quite well."

"Oh, Riley's having the time of his life. One of these day you'll have to tell me about Mirkwood."

"And shall have to tell me about your world." Ever the courteous one, Legolas bowed and Maggie wandered on to find Riley a few minutes later chatting with the twins. They were discussing the next plan in their search for the orcs which was going dreadfully and nobody could understand how a pack of orcs could just disappear without nearly any trace. Orcs were, after all, not exactly the cleverest creatures in the world.

"Next time you go out I want to come with you."

Riley raised an eyebrow and turned around to his cousin. "Hi Mags, it's good to see you up on your feet again. I hope you feel better and by the way that's absolutely _not_ happening."

"Riley, they kidnapped me. I've lost three days memory because of whatever the bloody hell they did. I want to find them."

"No, you're going to stay here where it's safe while we continue search for them and then hopefully kill the bastards."

Maggie was getting annoyed now. "Why, because I'm a girl?"

Riley thought she was overreacting but he wasn't going to back down from an argument he knew he was right in. "You know that has nothing to do with, I don't want anything to happen to you."

Elladan who had been standing there awkwardly with Elrohir wasn't sure whether to leave them to it or stay so that it didn't escalate any further.

"Oh so it's okay for me to worry about you while you're out there pretending to be some damn hero? I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself!"

"Oh yeah, that's worked out real well. Why can't you just see that it's safer for you here in Rivendell? You would never survive a battle, do you have any idea of what it's like?"

"Why can't you just stop pretending to be my dad for a change? Or _your_ dad for that matter!" "Well _shit me_ Maggie if you weren't so goddamn stubborn half the time we wouldn't have a problem would we?"

"Right, because you would fucking know wouldn't you?"

"Damn right I do!"

Maggie had enough now and Riley had gone too far. "Well in that case Ri, be my fucking guest and while you're at you can sod right the hell off!"

"So," Elrohir said when both Maggie and Riley had stormed off in different directions. He had a feeling this too might be a long day. "Which one would you like to take?"

"I think El, perhaps we should let _Adar_ speak to Maggie and you or I will speak to Riley."

* * *

Maggie ignored the knocks on her door and wanted to turn up her music, which was at the moment playing _3 Doors Down. _"Sod off Riley; I really don't want to speak to you."

"Then perhaps maybe I'll have better luck."

_Shit_, Maggie thought regrettably, she had practically just told Lord Elrond to sod off.

"I'm sorry my Lord, I didn't realise it would be you."

"Come, walk with me."

**_To be continued…._**

* * *

**_So that was a very long chapter with lots of things happening in it and it may have been a tad confusing I realise but anyway. Yay? Nay? Love it? Like it? Hate it? Leave a review and let me know! J_**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

**A/N: **I have so many ideas for this fic and I'm glad you all seem to like it J Here's the next chapter and it's another long one which I hope you'll enjoy!

* * *

**_Eight _**

For the next few days Riley and Maggie refused to speak to each other, both them too stubborn and proud to apologise and that made it all a little awkward to say the least. To be fair though, they'd had a lot of arguments over the years and a lot of them far worse than this one. Lord Elrond guessed it must be because they were both so similar and neither Riley nor Maggie were shy to share their opinions. Estel had also noticed the sudden change in the atmosphere; in fact it was pretty difficult to miss it. He seemed to want to try his best to make sure that they became, as he put in his own words, friends again which was rather sweet Elrond had to admit.

"Do you not think it's time to put this argument aside? Surely, it must be draining a lot of energy. He's your family and naturally you'll argue but your life has changed drastically. You're here, whether by chance or fate, I believe the latter and fighting does not seem worth it.

"Hm?" Maggie asked but then when she thought about it, she supposed it did make sense.

* * *

"Come back for round two have you?" said Riley coldly when he saw his cousin walking up to him later that afternoon.

"Actually," Maggie said "I've come to bury my axe."

"Oh really," Riley raised an eyebrow sceptically at first because he knew his cousin did not easily give up if she thought she was right about something. "What made you change your mind?"

"Let's just Elrond made a really good point about how we don't know how long we're gonna be here and these ridiculous arguments, they're not worth it. What I said about your dad, that was crossing the line and I'm sorry. You're not like him and you never will be; you're my cousin and I love you."

"Christ Maggie, you're gonna make me go all sentimental and cry." Riley hugged his cousin tightly "I love you too; you know that."

"Yeah, I do and anyway, we've had far worse arguments than this one."

It was true; Riley had to agree on that. "So; Elrond spoke to you did he?" he asked and was grinning now.

"Yes?" Maggie replied "What's that smile for?"

"Oh no nothing, it's just Estel will not shut up about how his 'adar' likes you."

"What?" This was news to Maggie and she wasn't quite sure how to react. Riley, on the other hand, clearly seemed to enjoy this.

"Oh yeah and you know kids are _always_ right. Remember how Isabel knew I had a thing with Shannon Aisleworth before I ever told anyone?"

"You're not seriously suggesting that I have a 'thing' with the Lord of Rivendell? That's outrageous and untrue."

"Sure; whatever you say cousin dearest."

* * *

It was one of those days that brought nothing eventful and perhaps that's just what they needed. Neither the twins nor Legolas and Riley were searching for orcs that night so along with Riley they had all decided to sit in the kitchen and drink wine. _Some things_, Riley thought, _regardless of which universe you're in, obviously don't change_.

"Oh I've sworn myself off absinthe for a lifetime." Maggie said. They were talking about memories, the twins' infamous pranks which had caused Elrond a lot of heart as well as headaches.

"Absinthe?" Elladan asked "I've never heard of it."

"It's this green drink which makes you do bad things when you're drunk and gives you on really nasty hangover."

"Really?" Elrohir was curious now. "What things?"

Riley grinned. "Oh so very many."

"Oh god." Maggie found herself thinking further down into her seat when she realised Riley as about to tell them. But then again, he had done an equal amount of stupid things when drunk and she was quite sure so had Legolas and the twins at some point in their lives. It was a nice change really, to just sit; drink and chat with the people both Maggie and Riley now could consider being their friends.

"And while we're on the subject of you, _mellonin_," (My friend) said Elladan whilst filling up each of their wine glasses. "We all know where you've been spending time lately."

"What the hell is with this delusion everyone seems to share?"

"Delusion? I think not." this time it was Legolas, who had decided to join in with the teasing. "It's true you've been spending time with him, is it not?"

"Well yeah, to find out what happened to me those three days I was gone."

"Maggie, _Adar_ is nearly ten thousand years old," said Elrohir. The odds were unfair now as they were four against one. "Do you honestly think that he doesn't know a thing or two about women?"

"He's got a good point you know." Riley agreed.

"You are _all_ insane." Maggie downed the glass in front of her and refilled it again and the four men in her company just laughed at her.

"That may be but it's all in good spirit." said Elrohir.

"Brother, you're really not one to speak. You have been trying to have an ordinary conversation with Talathel for _years_ but every time it seems like your mouth is suddenly glued shut." Elladan said and for the first time since they had been there, Maggie saw Elrohir blush. She'd noticed though, that the two of them seemed to like each other but it hadn't really been her business to ask about.

"I'm working on it," he hissed at his brother, very clearly embarrassed about it all. "I have a plan," he downed his drink as well and Maggie had a feeling that this might become a very interesting evening.

* * *

Somewhere not too far from the border of Lord Elrond's kingdom, but hidden enough where no men might find them a group of orcs were all stood in their camp. Some were chanting, some were fighting but in the midst of what to an outsider might seem like chaos, they were actually celebrating. They had been successful in their quest and the elves were clueless. It was time soon, to put their real plan into motion.

"Master," said one orc "We have located the child. It is as we thought."

"Excellent." replied the orc in charge. Finally, after so many years, he might get his revenge at last but he still had to wait a few more days and be patient. After all, all good things came to those who waited.

* * *

"Rise and shine sleepyhead!" It was reversed roles and Riley's payback for Maggie waking him up some weeks earlier. The youngest of the two Spencer cousins groaned and pulled her blankets over her head.

"Who ran me over with a train last night and what the hell was in that wine?" she complained

"You forget that Elvish wine is a lot stronger than your average bottle of Merlot." Riley reminded her but he couldn't blame her really because his hangover was equally bad. It just made it more bearable to see Maggie suffer from it as well.

"I want to die. You don't suppose that they have paracetamol here?"

"Oh I don't know, I'm quite sure Elrond would heal it if you asked him to."

"You're not gonna let this go are you?"

"Nope; I think it's hilarious. Come on, plenty of time to sleep later. I want to spend time with you, I feel like I haven't done that properly in a while."

Riley stood up but as he did it suddenly felt like something hit his stomach. The pain was almost unbearable and he clutched his stomach.

"Mags. I don't feel so well." He said

"Yeah? Join the club mate," Maggie replied "I think we all had a little too much last night."

"It's not the hangover; I need to sit down."

"Ri?" But Riley had already collapsed to the floor.

* * *

Luckily enough from what Lord Elrond could tell it was nothing serious but Riley was ordered to stay in bed. Clearly, Maggie thought, uneventful days just weren't their thing anymore.

"You know, I'm starting to think that someone up there is having a massive laugh at us; I bet you if anything it's granddad James. He always was a bit of a sadistic sod." Leave it to Riley, Maggie thought, to always find a sense of humour even when things were pretty bad.

"How are you feeling anyway?" she asked and sat down on the edge of his bed. He'd been asleep for most of the day and most of the ache was gone but not all of it had subsided.

"Better than before; obviously the elves don't get ill so I don't really think anyone knows what it might be but my guess is some kind of bad case of alcohol or food poisoning. We all did have fair amount of to drink last night. At least this is putting me off wine for a _long_ while ahead."

"It had to be you didn't it?"

"Oh yeah, but hey, at least life is far from dull."

"'Rohir! Look! He's awake."

"I'm sorry brother," said Elrohir from the doorway "But he was very excited to see you." Estel ran up to Riley's bed and practically jumped on him.

"Okay, ow, careful, it's a little sore still." Riley said as Estel hugged him. "He's gonna fall asleep here now isn't he?"

"Oh yes." Maggie laughed, glad that it hadn't been anything serious.

* * *

"Well, you two have certainly made our lives a little more interesting." said Elrond. He had asked Maggie to meet him in his study so that they could continue delving into her memory. Maggie was still hanging but she would have to put it aside.

"I can't imagine life here ever gets dull. Mind you, I guess with immortality and all you'd get streaks of boredom."

"Indeed," said Elrond calmly. "Now close your eyes and relax." he put his hands on Maggie's face. They were cold, she noticed and she put her own hands on Elrond's. It surprised her that he didn't seem to mind it.

"Your hands are cold my Lord."

"It's a little chilly outside; my apologies." Maggie closed her eyes and prepared herself to be dragged back into the nightmare she had chosen to remember.

* * *

_If there was something Maggie thought was a lot more frightening than the orcs, it was the wargs. She hardly dared moving, let alone breathing because she was sure that if she made one single wrong move the beast wouldn't hesitate to bite her head off. She lay there, tears streaming down here face as she beast sniffed her face with what almost seemed like a grin on its face, like it knew what it was doing and enjoyed it. A day and a half she'd been laid in their camp, bound and treated as though she was some sort of a pet for them to keep and do with as they pleased. Maggie could hardly feel her hands because of the cold and the rope around them. The wounds were bleeding now and it scared her that she had no idea of where Riley was. How could he simply have just disappeared, they had been together. _

_"What shall we do with her eh? Why should she just lay there, doing us no good when could eat her instead? A fine meal that would make, I've not tasted human for months." _

_"He's right! I'm going hungry and I've not had a decent meal in ages! I say we take her!" _

_Other orcs seemed to agree and made quite the commotion out of it all until the warg who had been sniffing Maggie turned around to them and growled them all into silence. _

_"ENOUGH!" It was the orc in charged who bellowed at them. "She's not ours to do with as we please. The Master would probably be pleased with a human; especially a human girl. We take her to him tomorrow." He walked up to Maggie now, grinning and she struggled not to let him touch her. _

* * *

Maggie had had enough now and didn't want to see anymore; she couldn't bear it. She hadn't realised she was crying silently until Elrond wiped the tears off her face. She sighed heavily as she sat herself down on a chair in the Elf-lord's study.

"Perhaps it would be unwise to continue." said Elrond and Maggie was sure it wasn't really a suggestion but more a plead. It obviously drained a lot of energy out of her and he could feel it too as he was the one in her mind. Some part of Maggie thought that maybe he was right because in the end all they had seen was despair and nothing that helped them locate where the orcs might have their camp. Admitting defeat, she nodded.

"Yeah, maybe you're right. I can't help but to feel powerless when they're out hunting orcs and I feel like I should know something." Maggie replied and that's exactly what she felt like. She loved playing with Estel, exploring Rivendell and chatting with Talathel and the other elves but she felt like she was doing no good and she hated the feeling of restlessness. Maybe it was nothing but she couldn't help but to feel that something was going to happen and that _something_ was stirring. Lord Elrond stood in front of her and Maggie found herself looking right into his eyes brown eyes.

"I should go see how Riley is feeling." she said

"Yes," Elrond agreed "That would be wise." Maggie quickly said goodbye and left the Elf-lord alone in his study. _Wise indeed, _he thought.

**_To be continued…._**

* * *

**_So things are stirring indeed! We'll just have to see what happens next don't we? Yay? Nay? Love it? Like it? Hate it? Please kindly leave a review and let me know! J_**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything still.

**A/N: **I realise I keep updating fast but that's because I genuinely have nothing to do over the holiday (except exam revision which I should get to) and I have so many things planned for this. So this is the chapter when things REALLY start to happen so here you go! Enjoy it

* * *

**_Nine _**

As days soon turned into weeks and weeks even more quickly became months both Maggie and Riley found that Imladris began to feel more like home and that perhaps they were always meant to be here. The elves became in a way very much their family and Maggie found that she was starting to fall more in love with the child Estel as though he was her own brother. Also, even if Maggie wasn't fully prepared to admit it to herself yet, she found that she was falling in a deeper love with Lord Elrond. It was as though the orc pack had disappeared out of sight as well as out of mind and life was peaceful, life was good. The two cousins still thought of home but being homesick wasn't so bad anymore. Neither Riley nor Maggie could explain it but some part of them felt like this was how things were meant to be.

"Estel," said Riley "If you want my advice, I happen to know she's ticklish right there."

"Oh no you don't." It was too late; Estel had already started tickling Maggie who was now lying flat on the grass with a more than pleased six year old and Riley was bending over with laughter. The past few days had brought nothing but rain which meant that Estel had been indoors, restless about being unable to play outside but when the sun finally shone through the sky again they had spent most of the day outside.

"When are you gonna admit it?" Riley asked, his face suddenly turned serious. Estel was out of earshot and Riley had wanted to ask this specific question for a very long time.

"Admit what?"

"That you're in love with him."

"I don't know what you're on about." But Maggie did know exactly what Riley was on about.

"Oh come on Mags, don't give me that. I see the way he looks at you and the way you look at him. The twins and I were actually considering locking you two in a wardrobe at some point but not so sure that would be wise what with Elrond being all powerful and ancient."

"Ancient being the key word here; it's not what you think."

"Sure it isn't."

* * *

"Legolas! Just the person I was looking for." The prince of Mirkwood had spent a few days visiting Lorien and the Lady Galadriel. From what Maggie had heard, Lorien was where Arwen lived. Riley had explained to her, when it was only the two of them alone of course, that Arwen and Estel wouldn't meet until at some point during his twenties. It was all quite romantic Maggie thought.

"What can I do for you Maggie?" Legolas asked as he greeted his friend with a hug

"Ah, that is an excellent question, my friend. How about teaching me Elvish?" Legolas wasn't quite sure what he had expected to hear but it definitely wasn't that.

"In exchange, I'll tell you anything and everything you want to want about our world. Does that sound like a deal?"

"Well yes," replied Legolas "But I'm not entirely certain sneaking behind Lord Elrond's back is a very wise idea. He'll find out eventually." Maggie could swear her jaw dropped to the ground and Legolas didn't even try to hide his grin.

"Okay, you've clearly been spending too much time with my cousin."

"_Aier_, I'm quite certain that everyone in Imladris by now knows it, it's just you who won't admit it."

Maggie grumbled but then decided to give in because frankly, she was sure Legolas could keep a secret. "Okay fine; it may be that I want to impress Lord Elrond BUT before you say anything it also makes sense to learn elvish because I'd like to know what goes on."

"Very well; I would love to teach you elvish. When would you like to begin?"

"How about tonight? We could meet in my room?"

Legolas nodded. "Aye, that sounds like a plan. Perhaps after supper?"

"Great! Oh uhm, 'Las, could you maybe not mention this to the others. They'd probably just laugh and well I'd like to keep it quiet." At this, the young prince smiled warmly and kissed his friend on her forehead. "Of course I won't tell anyone _mellonin_, you can trust me. And that's the first lesson; '_mellon'_ is elvish for friend."

* * *

"When was the last time you saw _Adar_ smile so often Elladan."

"I know," Elladan agreed with a nod "She makes him happy but I wish brother, that he would allow himself to be happy."

"I think maybe your father's business, romantic or otherwise, should be his own unless he chooses to share."

"Oh come on Glorfindel, surely you must admit that you're hoping for it as well."

* * *

"My Lord Elrond, these things are of urgent matter. There are whispers and rumours of a shadow growing in the east."

"Yes Erestor, I _can_ hear you I am not deaf." No, thought Erestor, but he could see that Lord Elrond was looking out to where Maggie having a conversation with. For a quick moment she met his eyes but then the Elf-lord focused back on the discussion with Erestor. He knew of these rumours; the lady Galadriel had showed him visions but so far, there was something there, something stirring in the darkness that they could not yet see. It was worrying him, Elrond had to admit that and some part of him thought that maybe that's why orcs and other foul, evil creatures were braver than ever before.

Elrond had no idea of the things that were about to take place.

* * *

Estel loved it. Stories of adventure and orcs; they were a little scary but scary was good and it made him feel brave. He was hiding where his brothers couldn't see him but he could hear them talking about the orcs they had been hunting for a long time. Adar wouldn't let Estel listen to it because it was too dangerous he said but Estel was brave. He wasn't afraid of dumb orcs and he could find them. He'd been out in the woods before; liked it. It felt a bit like home He wouldn't be scared. If he found the orcs then _Adar_ and everyone would be proud of him.

* * *

It wasn't that much of a big deal, Maggie knew that; but yet she felt a bit nervous. Legolas had been in her room for a good hour, teaching her the basic of Elvish which included a bit of history about where the elves had come from which was also quite interesting. To her surprise it wasn't that difficult a language to learn but she was sure that would change later on. She was worried somebody had seen Legolas come and leave from her room but maybe she was just being paranoid? _Chill out Margaret, this isn't Mission Impossible_; she thought but decided to hold out a few more minutes. When the coast was clear she opened the door, deciding to go find Elrond to see if Estel wanted a bedtime story.

"And you thought nobody would notice."

Maggie felt like her heart had jumped out of her chest when she saw Riley behind the door with a massive grin on his face. "Jesus Christ! How long were you standing there?!"

"Not long but I did hear Elvish being spoken; are you taking language classes from our dear prince?"

"Even if I was it's none of your business Ri; I'm going to go find Estel."

"Ah, so you are trying to impress Elrond; that's quite clever actually."

"Bugger off; you know you can be a real pain in the arse sometimes."

"That's why you love me. Where is Estel anyway, I thought he was supposed to have finished his studies with Glorfindel." They got to Estel's room but there was no child there and neither in Glorfindel's own study. It didn't take long before they had searched the places where Estel usually would be found but all of them turned out empty.

And to Maggie's complete and utter horror, she realised that Estel was gone.

**_To be continued…_**

* * *

**_DUN DUN DUN! Yay? Nay? Love it? Like it? Hate it? Please leave a review and let me know J _**


	10. Rescued

**Disclaimer: **As always, nothing is mine except Maggie and Riley.

**A/N:** I wasn't planning on uploading this one so quickly but considering it a Christmas present. Also, is there anything specific you'd like to happen?

* * *

**_Ten _**

It didn't take long at all before Lord Elrond had sounded the alarm. To most people it was probably the dumbest possibly idea; but Maggie knew that if she told anyone they would object. She didn't know for sure where the orcs had their hideout but she was pretty sure she would recognise the area. It couldn't be too far away and logic told her that if she made her way to where Elladan and Elrohir had first found her all those months ago, she would be on the right track. She left before there was time for anyone to realise she was gone and made her way out the city and headed to the river. The woods around were familiar and Maggie knew where to go. She waded through the water, not really caring about getting wet or cold; the most important thing in all of this was to find Estel and she prayed to whatever deity could hear her that Estel was alive.

* * *

"So these are the same orcs that killed Estel's father?" Riley asked

"Yes, that is why his mother brought him to Rivendell. Estel was two years old and his mother couldn't raise him; it wasn't safe. As was the custom of his kin, this was the only safe place for him." Elrond replied. Riley could tell that the Elf-lord was worried and quite frankly so was he. He loved Estel as much as Maggie did and didn't know what he would do if anything happened to him.

"And you named him Estel so that they wouldn't know who he was?"

"Aye, his real name is Aragorn and his mother was Gilraen."

"My Lord Elrond!" It was Lindir who came through the door with a worried expression on his face. _What now?_ Thought Riley and then Lindir turned to him. "It's your cousin; she's gone."

* * *

_Scared. No Adar. No 'Rohir or 'Dan. Creatures. Scary and smelly. Want my Adar. Want Maggie. Want to go home._ Estel was frightened and didn't know where he was. The orcs had come from out of nowhere and taken him. They'd brought him to their camp and it was impossible for him to tell how long he had been there. They'd bound him and he was sat in a corner, crying, hoping that someone, anyone would come and find him.

"So, this is the son of Arathorn."

"Look who I found here crawling back to us like a dirty little rat." One of the orcs was dragging Maggie along with him and threw her to the ground next to Estel.

"Maggie!" cried the child

"Estel, thank God you're alright! Hush, it'll be okay. I won't let anything happen to you, I promise." She saw the ropes on his hand and did her best to unbind them but the orc laughed maniacally at her attempt.

"Don't you dare touch him!" Maggie hissed, pulling Estel closer to him and the child buried his face in her shoulders.

"Oh no, I wouldn't touch him; it's you I'm going to have fun with first. He's going to watch."

* * *

Why would she go out there on her own? Maggie was unarmed and as far as Elrond was aware she had never had any kind of training in combat. He prayed to the Valar that nothing would happen to neither Estel nor Maggie; that both of them would be brought back alive. He couldn't just sit there in his study and do nothing; the Elf-lord was going to join in the search for them.

* * *

Maggie held Estel tightly in her arms as if her very life depended on it. In fact; it did and would rather die herself than let go of him. Admittedly, she was terrified senseless but she needed to stay brave for Estel's sake. His tears wouldn't stop flowing as the orcs formed a circle around them but she hushed him. One rash right across her face; Maggie could feel the wound burning. They left Estel unharmed, probably because they wanted her to suffer and him to see it. Maggie closed her eyes and for the first time in her life she prayed; prayed for Elrond to hear her. _If you can see me, I know you can, we need you. I've found Estel. _If anything, Maggie knew that Estel needed to survive; Middle-Earth _needed_ him to stay alive.

"Maybe we should keep her," said one of the orcs. The tone in his voice made Maggie shudder with unpleasantness, hoping that he wouldn't touch her. "After all, it's always nice with a pet and she's a pretty one. For a human scum." he staggered towards her and just when Maggie was about to get ready to kick something in his fact she suddenly heard it; the sound of horses galloping and a horn blowing.

"Maggie; I can see _Adar_!" Estel said

It was Elrond. Even behind the helmet she recognised him and she could see the twins and the rest of his guard as well. "Thank God!" she breathed. It didn't take long, a few minutes at the most, for the elves to slay the entire orc pack. They left none alive and burned the camp to the ground. The smell was foul but Maggie was sure now that they would not come for Estel again. It was over.

* * *

One part of Riley wanted to nothing except yell at Maggie when he saw his cousin in Lord Elrond's study but then he had seen the wounds on her body and how she had carried Estel in with her and he could only be thankful that he was alive. There was a silence in the room broken by nobody until Elrond finally spoke first.

"It was a foolish and reckless thing you did, going out there unarmed and alone. But nevertheless, it was a selfless act. Because of that Estel is home and safe and for that I am _forever_ in your debt. Thank you. Now, Elladan will see to those wounds of yours and then I suggest you get some sleep. I will speak to Estel." They left, leaving Elrond and Estel alone in the room. The young child knew his father wasn't happy with him and so he faced the floor instead of looking directly up at him, in shame.

"Estel," said Elrond calmly "Why did you run off on your own. You know you were not allowed to."

"I'm sorry _Adar_," Estel was still sobbing heavily "Do you hate me?"

"Hate you? By the Valar, no, I could never hate you Estel; you are my son and I love you very dearly but you frightened me."

"Will Maggie be okay?"

* * *

"Ow!" the wet cloth on Maggie's wound stung fiercely but at least they had stopped bleeding now. Elladan hadn't spoken a single word for the past half hour and she could clearly tell that he was annoyed. "Elladan," she asked "Why are you angry with me?"

"Do you honestly not see?" Elladan looked up at her and she looked right into his dark brown eyes; the same as his father's. He really _was_ angry and as far as he was concerned he had all right to be and didn't even try to hide it. Maggie needed to hear a thing or two. "Father _loves_ you Maggie! Deeply! In earnest, I have never seen him smile this much since our mother passed and we were beginning to think we never would. Can you even imagine how much his heart would break if you had died out there tonight? I know you feel the same way about him, I can see it, Riley can see it, by the Valar Maggie, I think the only one who doesn't see it, or doesn't want to for whatever reason, is _you_."

"But…wouldn't you disagree? He's your dad after all?"

Elladan smiled now. "That is so very _human_ of you; you always think of the 'what if' instead of the 'what could be'. No, of course we don't disagree; I love you as though you were my own sister and Riley my brother. The way you are with Estel, that child loves beyond any reckoning. You saved him tonight. You were willing to give up your own life to keep him alive. You are my _family_."

* * *

_"Melemin, you cannot dwell on the past." Celebrian took Elrond's hands."_ _Elrond didn't realise he had dozed off to sleep for surely it must be a dream. In front of him, he saw his wife, Celebrian, more beautiful than ever. She was dressed in white and almost glowed. "By loving her it does not mean you will forget me and you have so much more to live for." She showed her visions of things that were to come and things he had not expected to see but he knew then, what he needed to do. _

_"Our children have grown beautiful." said Celebrian_

_"Arwen has your beauty." Elrond replied _

_"It is time to wake up now my love." _

* * *

_Maggie couldn't sleep. She had been twisting and turning for what seemed like hours until she finally gave up. It was strange, she felt like the _

_"My name is Celebrian."_

_"You're his wife. Wait, no offence but I thought you were dead. This feels real, unless it's some kind of dream."_

_"Even if it is a dream, it doesn't mean it cannot be real." _

_"Fair enough, I guess that makes some kind of sense; in a creepy JK Rowling sort of way. So, uhm, why are you here?" _

_Celebrian smiled now. "What you did today was incredibly brave and selfless. By saving the child Estel you have ensured the future of Middle-Earth. But there are still things that will come to pass that cannot be changed." _

_"You mean the war of the ring?" _

_Celebrian nodded. "You and your cousin still have a part to play in all this and your future is yet to be unfolded but for now there is something else you have to do."_

* * *

"You should be resting." How did he always seem to know who was going to knock on the door before Maggie had even raised her hand?

"Yeah, that window of opportunity passed long ago. Actually, I was kind of wondering if I could speak to you about something." Elrond looked up from his work, curious now because the tone in Maggie's voice had changed and turned more serious than he had heard it before.

"What's troubling you?"

"I know you're angry that I went to search for Estel on my own and I don't blame you. I can't really explain it but I had to be the one to find him."

"The only reason to why I am angry because I could not bear the thought of losing _you_, the way I lost Celebrian."

"Why?"  
"You already know the answer."  
"I still want you to tell me; I need you to tell me."

"I am in love with you Maggie and I have been for a very long time." Maggie wrapped her arms around Elrond's neck and for the first time in a very long time Lord Elrond let go of all the guilt he had been feeling. It was as though that vision earlier had made him see things in a different light and he knew that it was Maggie he was supposed to be with. The Elf-lord pulled her so close their noses were touching and Maggie could hear her own heart beating really fast.

"I was hoping you'd say that," she said as Elrond brushed a strand of hair out of her face "Because that means you can _finally_ kiss me."

"Oh, that's not all I plan on doing."

**_To be continued…. _**

* * *

**_Still a few more chapters to go! I basically have them all written out, I just need to upload them. Yay? Nay? Love it? Like it? Hate it? Leave a review and let me know. Also I hope you all have a merry Christmas! J_**


	11. An Unexpected Visitor

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything except Maggie and Riley.

**A/N: **I hope you're all having a wonderful Christmas! There's not much left of this fic so I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

**_Eleven _**

_An unexpected visitor _

When Maggie woke up the next morning, she was neither in her own bed nor was she alone. She grinned at the thought the night before and could hardly believe it. Not in a million years would she have thought that she'd be lying in bed with Lord Elrond. And then there was the sex – the sex had been amazing. She was about to get out of bed when she felt a pair of arms pull her back.

"Come back here." Elrond murmured in her ear. He could barely remember the last time he had been this happy, this at peace.

"It's late; people will wonder where we are." said Maggie

"Let them wonder; there are no duties I have today that cannot be handled by Erestor or Glorfindel. I believe I was in the middle of something."

"Are you sure you're the same Elrond I met all those months ago?" and he answered her with a long deep kiss.

* * *

"Good morning _Adar_, it seems like you've had a good night's sleep." It was Elladan who'd spoken. Elrond may be their father but there were no laws against teasing your parents. Lord Elrond had been on his way to see Erestor when he stopped

"You two aren't going to give Maggie any grief about this are you?" he asked as his glance went from Elladan to Elrohir and then back to Elladan.

"Oh no _Adar_, we wouldn't dream of it, would we Elrohir?"

"Absolutely not Elladan."

"Indeed." said the Elf-lord with a smirk on his face, he knew very well how his sons worked.

* * *

"Estel will you please listen to what I have to tell you? These things are important." Estel was twisting and turning in his seat and wasn't at all interested in learning today. Normally his lessons were studies in Elvish, history and a few other things which Elrond deemed important. Mostly it was Glorfindel and Erestor in charge of the teaching. Ever since the orc rescue however, all Estel had been interested in was Maggie, as if he was afraid that she would go away.

"I want Maggie to play with me." He asked  
"Maggie is busy elsewhere at the moment, now be a good boy and get back to your studies and we can find her later."

* * *

"I think, Master Elf that perhaps you ought to relax a little." At this Elrond looked up at Maggie who was sat on the desk in front of him. It seemed quite difficult for them to get some time for themselves but nobody entered Elrond's personal study without at least knocking.

"Really?" he responded now with a mischievous smirk on his face. "And exactly how do you propose I do that?" Two could play this game, he thought as he rested his arms on the desk. Maggie took the opportunity to place his hands on her waist and sat down on his lap.

"Oh I have an idea or two."

"My lord Elrond," it was Lindir's voice they heard through the door as Elrond was about to pull Maggie in for a kiss.

"You've got to be kidding me." Maggie complained because she had just been about to unbutton the Elf-lord's shirt.

"Lord Elrond Sir; I'm sorry but it is most urgent."

"What could possibly be so important that it cannot be handled by Erestor or Glorfindel?" Elrond asked annoyed at the interruption.

"King Thranduil my lord."

"_Shit_," said Maggie "Isn't that Legolas' dad?"

"It is indeed and I wonder why." Thranduil had sent no word of his arrival which was a little worrying.

* * *

"A _human_? What is the matter with you Elrond? Have you lost your mind entirely? You cannot seriously mean to be with this…girl?" said Thranduil as he sized Maggie up and down like if she meant nothing. She understood now why neither Elladan nor Elrohir had much compassion for the king of Mirkwood and why Legolas wanted to spend time away from home. She saw Elrond's eyes grow dark as if he too had been offended.

"Who I choose to be with Thranduil, is of nobody's concern except mine. It certainly isn't any of yours."

"I'm, uh, going to leave you two to it. It's a pleasure to meet you my Lord." said Maggie quickly as she curtseyed and left.

* * *

Maggie made sure to spend the rest of the day avoiding Thranduil while he and Elrond conducted in business. She couldn't for the life of her understand how he and Legolas were related when they were nothing alike at all. _Speak of the devil, _Maggie thought when she saw Legolas hurrying up to her, undoubtedly he'd been told about his father's visit and the look on his face told Maggie he wasn't particularly happy.

"I apologise on behalf of my father. He had no right to say to those awful things to you." said Legolas

"It's not your fault 'Las." Maggie told him as the two of them sat down.

"I do not wish you to think I'm like him. I see you as my friend; a very _dear_ friend. He is my father and I love him but we disagree on many things; such as the view on humans. He just doesn't understand. "

"Legolas, you're not like your dad and I've no doubt that someday you'll be a much greater king than Thranduil." Legolas smiled as Maggie hugged him.

* * *

"Do you have any songs from your world?" Lindir asked curiously. Despite the fact that Thranduil's surprise visit seemed to have caught everyone a bit off guard and certainly dampened the mood Lord Elrond was ever the courteous host and invited Thranduil for dinner; after which they went to the Hall of Fire as was the custom. Estel had chosen to cuddle up in Maggie's arms tonight and was beginning to slowly fall asleep even thought he struggled.

"Uhm…I'll leave this one to you Maggie. I don't sing, you did choir."

"Well, there is one song I quite like."

"Share it with us, if you'd like." said Elrond

And Maggie hummed a soft familiar (at least to her and Riley) tune.

_"Lay down, your sweet and weary head; night is falling you have come to journeys end. Sleep now and dream of the ones who came before; they are calling from across the distant shores. Why do you weep? Why are these tears upon your face? Soon you will see all of you fears will pass away. Safe in my arms, you're only sleeping." _She sang and stroked Estel's hair as the child was slowly but surely drifting off to sleep. They had a connection now, Elrond realised, one that would never be broken. _"What can you see on the horizon? Why do the white gulls call? Across the sea, a pale moon rise, the ships have come to carry you home. And all will turn to silver glass; a light on the water all souls pass. Hope fades into the world of night through shadows falling out of memory and time. Don't say we have come now to the end white shores are calling, you and I will meet again. Will you be here in my arms, just sleeping? What can you see on the horizon? Why do the white gulls call? Across the sea, a pale moon rises the ships have come to carry you home and all will turn, to silver glass a light on the water grey ships pass into the west."_

And for the first time in a long while, Maggie looked at Riley and she knew that in that moment, they both thought of home.

* * *

Thranduil's visit didn't last long; only a few days and that was something everyone in Rivendell were incredibly thankful for. Elrond wasn't afraid to show his love for Maggie as much as it annoyed Thranduil. Hell, Maggie thought, annoying him was half the fun of it even if she tried not to make it so obvious.

"Come Legolas," Thranduil commanded; his voice boomed loudly almost like thunder. It was the morning of his departure and Legolas' three months were up. It would be odd to see him go because both Maggie and Riley had got used to having him there. "It is time to go home." Much to his surprise though his son didn't move at all; Legolas stood still with his arms firmly crossed. He was making a very clear statement to his father that he'd had enough now. Thranduil dismounted his horse and walked up to his son; the look on the Elf-king's face was a grim one but Legolas didn't seem to be bothered by it at all.

"Legolas, we are going home. There is no time for silly games!"

"No _Adar_; if it isn't trouble for Lord Elrond, I wish to stay longer. I don't feel much like going home." Legolas replied and Thranduil's glance now fell upon Lord Elrond, waiting for his answer.

"You are welcome to stay for as long you feel necessary Legolas." and that statement just seemed to set Thranduil right off. He didn't say anything, but Riley and Maggie swore they could see his eyes grow darker. He mounted his horse again and didn't say anything

"So, was that awkward for everyone else too?"

"Time and a place brother." whispered Elladan

"Legolas," said Lord Elrond after Thranduil was out of earshot "Your father will not be happy about this

"Father is unhappy about a great many things my Lord; adding one more to the list will not harm him. In fact, it may even do him some good." Secretly though, despite his serious face, Maggie was sure that Elrond was at least a little pleased about telling off Thranduil.

"Well," said Riley "That was something,"

**_To be continued…._**

* * *

**_Yay? Nay? Love it? Like it? Hate it? I know this chapter was a bit pointless but sometimes you need a bit of that too. Either way, I hope you leave a review. Not many chapters left now. Also, the song "Into the West" is obviously not mine, it's very much Annie Lennox. _**


	12. Aftermath

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything except Maggie and Riley.

**A/N: **There's only about two or so more chapters left I'd guess but that doesn't really mean it's truly over does it? ;) Anyway, here's the next chapter, thank you all for reviewing! Enjoy it! J

* * *

**_Twelve _**

_Aftermath _

"So," said Riley. There had been a silence between them for a good long while that neither of them had wanted to break until then. "Would you like to go first or should I?" he asked his cousin.

"I'm not even really sure what to say," Maggie replied "It's weird; I've got this feeling in my gut that something's going to happen. I can't explain it but it feels a bit like—"

"—like maybe we're nearing the end of our stay. I know what you mean."

Maggie turned to her cousin. "It doesn't make sense though! We've been here for nearly a year and no closer to figuring out how the hell to _get_ back home and honestly Riley, I'm not so sure I want to."

"I'm not entirely sure that's our choice to make. There are obviously greater powers at work here Mags."

But that wasn't a good enough reason, not to Maggie anyway. "So even if there was a reason, a purpose for us being here, we don't know what that is either. Saving Estel? That's _months_ ago now! We've been here for almost a year! Estel is turning seven soon and he keeps going on about his birthday and how we're all going to be there. And then there's Elrond," Maggie didn't even realise that there were tears streaming down her face now "I love him so much, the thought of leaving him just hurts." Riley pulled his cousin in for a hug and they just stood there for a long time without words. The thought of eventually leaving Middle-Earth hurt him too but he had a feeling that in one way or another it was inevitable.

* * *

Lord Elrond was sat deep in thought as Estel was tending to his studies. His son seemed to be focused on his assignment but the elf-lord on the other hand was miles away. He wasn't at all surprised when Galadriel's familiar voice once again echoed in his mind; _you know you cannot change this. This was always meant to happen but so were the other things; them coming here was always their fate just as falling in love with Margaret was always meant to be yours. You know that their part in future of Middle-Earth has not yet ended and that there is much more ahead, more than any of us know. It is not the last time you will see them. _

Something far away caught his attention and he suddenly snapped out of his vision. He could swear that he heard the sound of a horn blowing, _his_ horn. That could only mean trouble, he thought as he told Estel to stay

"My Lord Elrond!" the rider on the horse galloped quickly in through the gates and met Elrond and the others at the stairs. The look on his face was that of horror. "Orcs at the gates of the city!"

"Sound the alarms and call to arms!"

"Here we go again." Riley said to Maggie as he got up and hurried to the stables to suit up.

* * *

"We want the child elf-lord." the orc hissed. They were many but the elves were more and Elrond had no doubt that they would win this battle. They'd taken it outside the city into the woods because he didn't want his people harmed. Legolas was staying in the city along with Erestor and some others to ensure the safety within the walls as well as Estel whom was being looked after by Maggie. There was no way he was sending her into battle after the last encounter with orcs. This had to end now.

"You would have to kill me first before you ever lay your hands on him." Elrond's voice was dark and deadly serious. If you'd have been there you would have been able to feel the tension in the air.

"So be it." Then the orc gave a command to the others in the black speech which Riley could only assume meant "kill them" or something similar.

And so the battle was begun.

* * *

"Talathel! Take Estel, I'll ward him off!" Maggie, Talathel and Estel were all running. Somehow an orc had got into the city and found them which made Maggie wonder if perhaps he'd been hiding there for quite some time but why wouldn't they have noticed them? That didn't matter though, what mattered was Estel's safety.

"Maggie!" Estel called, at protest in first

Maggie knelt down in front of the six year old who was feeling very frightened. "You have to be brave Estel; go with Tala she'll keep you safe, I'll be right behind you." Estel nodded and Tala picked him up and ran.

* * *

The battle seemed to go on forever. Where the orcs had come from, Lord Elrond did not know. He was certain they had all been killed but there must have been more in hiding, waiting for the right moment. After all this was over they would have to scout the entire and ensure that there was nothing more lurking in the darkness. How had they come to be so brave all of a sudden? For decades orcs had stayed hidden out of their sight not making a move and now suddenly there they were. It was almost as if someone or something had pushed them to it and it made Lord Elrond wonder.

* * *

Riley had lost count of how many orcs he'd killed by now but it was at least seven or maybe eight. He'd cut off heads and limbs and if this had taught him anything it was that battles were dreadful. Then suddenly it hit him almost from out of nowhere. The arrow went straight into his chest and he felt the pain searing through him. It happened so quickly Riley didn't remember much except hearing Elladan or Elrohir's voice in the distant calling his name.

* * *

"Legolas! Thank God!" The orc chasing making had been persistent and difficult to get rid of. Talathel and Estel were safe but the orc was still after her. She had been running through halls of Imladris into the Hall of Fire when suddenly an arrow had shot through the orc's head.

"Are you alright?" Legolas asked as he pulled out his arrow and carefully cleaned off the black blood.

"Yes, well, much better than this guy anyway." the orc lay dead on the floor with one of Legolas' arrows right through his head.

"Where is Estel?"

"Talathel went to hide with him. I think I know where they're hiding."

* * *

It felt like hours later but all the orcs were dead – Elrohir was sure of it now. They needed to burn their bodies but when he heard Elladan calling after him and their father he knew something was wrong. When he caught up with his brother he was kneeling on the ground with Riley lying there wit an orc arrow in his chest. It was very obviously painful and Riley was coughing blood.

"Well," said Riley as he let out another cough "You guys look good."

"Always the comedian," said Elrohir. He grasped the arrow and as he was about to pull it out Riley stopped him.

"Not much point is there." It hurt so much that the pain was indescribable. "Tell Maggie…" but Elladan didn't let him finish the sentence.

"Don't be silly brother; you're going to make it."

Riley didn't remember much more than that because shortly after everything went black.

* * *

"Riley!" When Maggie saw her cousin being carried into Lord Elrond's healing room. His body was lifeless and seeing the blood on his body almost paralysed her. Elladan had taken out the arrow and shortly after that Riley had passed out.

"It's an orc arrow," said Elrond "It is highly poisonous."

"Well you're a master healer aren't you? _Heal_ him!" her tears were now streaming down her face. _Riley you stupid son of a bitch, _she thought to herself although she didn't really mean it.

"I can draw out the poison and heal the wound but Maggie, this runs deep. Even with my powers I'm not sure if he—"

"Don't you dare say it," Maggie warned. Riley wasn't going to die. He couldn't die. She wouldn't allow it. But Maggie knew that in all of this she was extremely powerless and all she could do was sit there by her cousin's side until there was some sign of hope.

* * *

_"Whoa, how did I end up at Platform 9 ¾?" It was, Riley thought, like being in some sort of computer game with the eerie white fog surrounding him; quite a bit like Silent Hill. _

_"You and your cousin are much alike." It was an unfamiliar female voice that spoke to him. She was a woman, ironically dressed in white. Her hair was long and black and her ears were pointed, just like that of an elf. _

_"Who are you?" Riley asked _

_"My name is Celebrian, who I am you already know."_

_Of course, Riley thought. "You're Lord Elrond's wife, but you're supposed to be dead, wait—am I…dead?" _

_"What do you remember?" her voice was calm and soothing and she was incredibly beautiful. Lord Elrond clearly had very good taste in women. _

_"I remember the arrow and I remember the pain but, not anymore." He looked down at the wound which was healing in chest_

_"Lord Elrond healed you but orc poison is very strong and is still penetrating through your body." _

_"So I am dead? Great; Maggie's going to kill me." Celebrian smiled and then shook her head. "You are destined for great things Riley Spencer, things which cannot be accomplished if you are dead. I am here to grant you the gift of life. Your cousin needs you and Middle-Earth will depend on you."_

_"What do you mean? What things?" _

_"It is time to wake up dear one." _

* * *

"Maggie, you need to sleep dear one." Lord Elrond put his hands on Maggie's shoulders when he walked into the room. She had been sat by her cousin's side for hours, refusing to eat or rest. She heard Elrond's voice clearly but it was as if it didn't really matter; all that mattered in that moment was Riley.

"I can't leave. I need to be here for him; just like he was there for me."

"The wound is healing but the mending takes time. How much time I cannot say but what I can say is that you need your rest. You're exhausted. Come, let us go to bed. I will sing you to sleep." Maggie gave in, knowing this was an argument she wouldn't win. She was exhausted but even if she did fall asleep she doubted it would be a good one.

"I don't know what the fuss is about."

Both Maggie and Elrond stopped in their steps when they heard Riley's voice. When they turned around they saw him slowly sitting up in his bed.

"Riley! Oh my god you're alive!"

"Yeah, you're not gonna get rid of me that easy."

"Your wound…it's gone. That's impossible." said Elrond. Even in his experience no wound had ever healed this quickly before. In fact, it had ceased to exist completely. But then he felt something he would never be able to forget; a light kiss on his cheek when there was nobody else there except the three of them and then knew.

**_To be continued…._**

* * *

**_Not much more left after this! Yay? Nay? Love it? Like it? Hate it? Please leave a review and let me know! _**


	13. Homeward Bound

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything except Maggie and Riley. Well, some of the elves (such as Talathel) are mine too.

**A/N: **Well, this is it; the last one. Massive thanks to everyone who's stayed with this fic and everyone who's reviewed. Enjoy it! :)

Oh! Quick notes on the elves ages: it's stated somewhere that the estimated age of Legolas is about 2931 by the time of the War of the Ring and as this is set about 4 years before the hobbit and so 64 years pre LOTR you'll have his estimated age in this fic.

Elrond age isn't specified by Tolkien either but Elrond is the son of Earendil (you know, their brightest star) and it puts him well, way over 6,000 years old during the war of the ring so yeah.

* * *

**_Thirteen _**

_Homeward Bound _

They celebrated that night – not only the victory against the orcs but also Riley's near miraculous recovery. At some point after Estel had fallen asleep and the party was still going strong (and let me tell you, it was a party unlike anything you've ever seen before), Maggie slipped away to find Lord Elrond in what was now not only his but their bed chamber. The Elf-lord smiled when he looked up at her; she was dressed in silk dress in a sparkling midnight blue colour with long sleeves and he thought her incredibly beautiful.

"You should still be celebrating." he told her "You're young."

"Yeah on that subject, I've never asked; how old are you?"

"Have a guess." Maggie sat down on Elrond's lap. It was a funny thing, she thought, how everything seemed to work out in one way or another.

"Well, Elladan and Elrohir said you're nearly ten thousand years old but even they didn't seem to be really sure. I don't know, 8,000?"

Elrond smirked and shook his head. "Legolas will be 2867 next spring. I am 8234."

"Shit me….that definitely puts my twenty-three in perspective."

"Age matters little to us."

"Do you remember everything? All your years, you must have done so much."

Elrond nodded "Yes, both the good things so well as the bad." he got up and walked across the room to the desk that was stood by the wall. He pulled out the drawer and got out a small, velvet clad box about the size of an old fashioned music box. Inside it was a necklace, a crystal pendant attached to silver chain which he put around Maggie's neck.

"This is the star of Enwin; she lights the way for travellers and guides them home safely."

"It's beautiful." said Maggie "This is our last night isn't it? You know we're going home."

"Yes." Before Lord Elrond could say anything further Maggie interrupted him with a long, deep kiss.

"Then let's make it count."

* * *

Of course they made love that night and it was a night that Maggie would never forget. It was only the early hours of dawn when she finally fell asleep in Lord Elrond's eyes and when she woke up he wasn't there. Maggie couldn't explain the feeling inside her, it was like she was waiting for something that had yet to happen. It was at sometime during the afternoon when a new visitor walked through the gates of Rivendell; one wearing a long grey cloak and a rather large pointy hat.

"Mithrandir," Elrond was obviously surprised to see his old friend. "What brings you to Imladris? I haven't seen you in many years _mellonin_!" they hugged and exchanged words in Elvish. Maggie and Riley didn't really know what to say as they were stood in front of _the_ Gandalf the Grey. When Gandalf then turned to the two of them they knew why he was there. Reason told them there was no use asking how he knew of them because he was Gandalf and he always seemed to know just about everything.

"I guess this is it huh?" Riley asked

"If by 'it' young Master Riley, you mean the end of your journey, then yes, I'm afraid so. You've done what you were sent here to do; it is time to go home." said the wizard but then he smirked and said something only Maggie and Riley could hear _"But just because it is the end of one journey, why does it have to mean there won't be another?" _

"_Adar_," Estel whispered "Why must they leave? Can't they stay?" And right then, Maggie felt something breaking inside her. Estel was crying now and she knelt down in front of him and wiped his tears; trying her best not to cry herself but she found it impossible.

"I want you to stay, I love you." Estel said between his tears and Maggie hugged him tightly.

"I love you too and I want nothing more than to stay but sometimes Estel, we have to do things that are difficult. Things we don't always want to do."

"But what about _Adar_?"

"Come now Estel," said Elrond calmly. Maggie then looked up at Elrond and all the words she had were gone. She didn't know what to say and she couldn't think of anything that would possibly make it better. The Elf-lord looked at her and wiped her tears just as she had wiped Estel's.

"I love you so much, I don't….I can't even…." When she put her arms around Elrond and he held her it was something neither of them had ever felt before and even the Elf-lord shed a tear and then they shared one last kiss. After that; Maggie said goodbye to the twins and Legolas. When Riley hugged Estel he whispered something in the child's ear and he nodded, as if he'd made a promise of some kind. It made Maggie curious as to what it could be but she didn't ask.

"_Namarie aier, _may the light of Enwin shine on your path. I hope that maybe some day I'll see you again." (Farwell little one) said Legolas

"You know," Riley said as he stood in front of Elladan and Elrohir. "I've never had brothers; I grew up in a household of sisters, all of them older than me. I'm glad and proud to say I can call you my brothers even if it's not by birth."

"One does not have to be related by blood to be called family." Elladan said as he hugged Riley.

It took a while but after all goodbyes had been said Riley and Maggie stood in front of Gandalf.

"Okay so, how does it work? I don't suppose you have a Tardis nearby?" Riley asked and Gandalf chuckled gladly.

"No, no, nothing of the sort. It will happy so quickly you won't even know it."

Neither Riley nor Maggie could explain it. There it was all of a sudden; it wasn't like being whisked away to Oz by a hurricane. Instead there had been a sort of bright flash of light and they'd seen Imladris fading away around them, until suddenly there were stood in front of the house their family had rented in Wales. They both looked around as if to make sure they were really there and then they looked at each other because as far as they could see they were looking at the exact same scene as when they had first set off on the hike.  
"We're really here!" Riley said

"And we're not on the path, shit, that means we'll have to admit we lost the bet." Maggie said

Riley smiled at his cousin "We may have lost that but we gained something different entirely wouldn't you say?" and Maggie could only agree. Riley put his arms around his cousin and they walked together to the house.

But Gandalf had been right; it was the end of one journey but only the start of another.

**_THE END _**

* * *

**_What did you think? That may have been a little anti-climatic and all but I hope you liked it nonetheless? What's that? An epilogue? There just may be! Stay tuned! In the mean while please leave a review and let me know what you thought! :)_**


	14. Epilogue

**_Did you think it was over? In that case, here is a sneak peak of the sequel for your entertainment :)_**

* * *

_"Riley will you get your bloody foot out of my face!"_

_"Yeah I will once someone helps me get the hell off Felix." _

_"Let me just get out of this."_

_"Dude, you're fucking heavy!" _

_"I'm sorry but you guys aren't the ones with two football players lying all over you." It took the five of them a good few minutes to get themselves sorted and up on their feet. Riley, Maggie, Felix, Natalie and Laura were all equally dirty and all equally confused as to what had just happened – and so were the five unfamiliar faces staring right back at them._

_"I swear, this is a déjà vu all over again." Riley said, mostly to Maggie as he was referring to his arrival in Middle-Earth when he had first encountered Elladan and Elrohir. But then he looked up and when he managed to wrap his head around his surroundings it all seemed too familiar and as did the face of the man in front of them. It was unmistakable really, Riley thought, he knew Middle-Earth when he saw it and the three shorter ones were without a doubt hobbits._


End file.
